Fueling Up Right: What to Eat 15 Minutes Before a Workout

In this guide, we'll cover the importance of pre-workout nutrition. We'll also give you a list of foods to fuel your body 15 minutes before you start working out.

Nutritional Goals

Foods provide the energy necessary for your workout. Proper hydration is essential as it helps maintain performance and prevent fatigue. Additionally, it's important to avoid foods that could upset your stomach during exercise. Remember, pre-workout nutrition serves two primary purposes: to fuel your training performance and to create an anabolic environment conducive to muscle growth. Generally, consuming carbohydrates before training can significantly enhance your performance.

Macro and Micro Nutrients

Your pre workout snack should have a mix of big and small nutrients.

Carbohydrates are your body's main energy source. They are essential before a workout. Choose fast-digesting foods like fruits. 

Protein is crucial for muscle repair and growth. It's a key part of your pre-workout snack. Choose easy-to-digest protein sources. Greek yogurt or a protein smoothie are good choices. They support your muscles during exercise.

Healthy fats also give lasting energy. They can keep you full during your workout. Add nuts or seeds to your pre-workout snack. But, watch the portion size to avoid digestive issues.

Staying hydrated is key for top performance. So, drink lots of water before your workout. Electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, help keep fluid balanced. They prevent dehydration, especially during intense exercise. 

The pre-workout meal can be the single most important meal of the day. It will ultimately determine how effective your training is which ultimately drives muscle growth. There are two main purposes of the pre-workout meal the first is to fuel the workout primarily via carbohydrate and the second is to provide an anabolic environment during training, primarily via protein.

Peri Workout Nutrition Matters

Peri-workout nutrition involves strategically timing your intake of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—before, during, and after a workout. This approach is designed to optimize digestion, energy levels, and muscle recovery.

 

Research suggests that pre and post exercise meals shouldn't be separated by more than three to four hours or maybe five to six hours if you eat a large pre-workout meal. Let's just meet in the middle and say four to five hours between the pre and post-workout meals is the true size of the science-based anabolic window. 

So the peri workout window definitely matters. But it matters more for some than it does for others. It's more important if you're leaner because you have a lower nutrient supply, it's more important if you're on lower total calories because you're at a higher risk of muscle loss and it's more important for those who do higher volume bodybuilding style training which depletes more nutrients than lower volume powerlifting workouts.

Sample Pre-Workout Snacks

You don't want to go into a workout hungry. But, also keep in mind that you don't want to eat too much or the wrong things before a workout. These could leave you tired and groggy.

Now when it comes to the macros for the pre-workout meal I am for about 30 - 40 grams of carbs ideally coming from a lower glycemic carb source like a serving of fruit. This combination of carb sources will provide more sustainable energy through the workout since different carbohydrates use different transporters meaning different rates of absorption and more sustainable performance during training. I'll also aim for about 20-30 grams of protein and 0 to 10 grams of fat depending on how close the meal is to the workout itself. Because dietary fat slows digestion down, meals eaten closer to the workout should contain less fat and meals eaten further from the workout should contain more fat. Read Mastering Macro Counting

Let's Look at Snacks 15 Minutes Before Your Workout

Let's consider someone who's in a rush and needs to train within the next 10 to 30 minutes and hasn't eaten for several hours. They should definitely eat something, but if they have a big meal they might feel bloated or sluggish. So in this case I'd recommend something light and quick like a whey protein shake and a banana. These nutrients need to be absorbed quickly. So we don't want much fat or fiber. It's a quick snack on the fly.

Banana with Almond Butter: This snack is simple but effective. It combines fast carbs from the banana. These pair with the lasting energy of almond butter's healthy fats and protein.

Greek Yogurt with Berries: Greek yogurt has lots of protein. The berries have antioxidants and quick carbs. They fuel your workout.

Whole Grain Toast with Peanut Butter: It gives complex carbs for lasting energy. Peanut butter adds protein and healthy fats to keep you full.

Oatmeal is full of complex carbs. Adding a splash of milk gives protein and hydration.

Fruit Smoothie with Protein Powder: Blend your favorite fruits with protein powder. It makes a refreshing and nutrient-packed snack for before a workout. And, it's easy on the stomach.

Avoid Before Workout

While it's essential to fuel your body before a workout, there are certain foods you'll want to steer clear of:

Fatty or fibrous foods can cause stomach issues during exercise. So, it's best to avoid them before your workout.

Heavy or large meals can leave you feeling sluggish and bloated. They make it hard to perform at your best.

Sugary snacks have no nutrition. They may give a quick energy boost but can cause a mid-workout crash. Opt for snacks that offer sustained energy instead.

Workout Nutrition During Your Session

Now up front I'll say that intra workout nutrition definitely isn't required for everyone. Especially if you've already had a well-timed pre-workout meal. But there are a few circumstances where it does make sense if you train fasted, if you're in a caloric deficit and already very lean, if your workouts last longer than an hour or if you're an elite level trainee trying to optimize every little detail and if any of these apply to you. I definitely recommend having some kind of liquid carb source during your workout such as gatorade to fuel performance. 

As a general rule of thumb I recommend 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per minute of training starting about 30 minutes into the workout. So if your workouts last 90 minutes you'd consume 30 grams of carbs starting 30 minutes in.

Post Workout Nutrition

Okay. So the urgency of the post-workout anabolic window has definitely been exaggerated by some gym bros. Remember that there is in fact a four to five hour window bracketing the workout. Meaning if you ate your pre-workout meal one hour before training then trained for an hour you'd theoretically still have two to three hours to play with for getting in that post-workout meal. On the other hand if you ate your pre-workout meal two hours before training and then trained for two hours you should get your post-workout meal in as quickly as possible. 

I recommend consuming 0.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight post-workout. So if you weigh 180 pounds you'd want about 30 - 40 grams of protein. Add carbs to the meal based on your current macro allotment .

Here is a post-workout meal that will help rebuild those muscles. Mix up a bowl of extra lean ground turkey, some rice, low-fat sour cream, low-fat shredded cheese and sriracha and then have a handful of berries as my post-workout fruit.

A mixed green salad to hit some veggies and if you need some extra protein you can add some extra ground turkey as needed to your protein target.

Considerations for Different Workouts

The type of workout you have planned can also influence your pre-exercise snack choices:

For the long slow burn like trail running or rucking, eat carbs. They fuel your muscles well.

Strength training workouts benefit from a mix of carbs and protein. They help muscle repair and growth.

HIIT requires quick bursts of energy. So, choose snacks with carbs and protein for sustained performance.

Conclusion

Eating before a workout is crucial. It helps you perform better and reach your fitness goals. Try different snacks to find what works for you. Also, stay hydrated before, during, and after your workouts. This will help you stay at your best. With the right fuel, you'll be ready to crush your fitness goals and take your workouts to the next level.